Ephraim Asher

Read about this sacred, special homebirth, as told by the strong, patient mama…

Ephraim- Fruitful, double blessing/portion/inheritance (The Gentile line of Israel, son of Joseph)Gen 48:13-20

Asher- Happy, blessed, fortunate (One of the 12 tribes of Israel, son of Jacob/Israel) Deu.33:24-29 “Asher is most blessed of sons, let him be favored by his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil…”

I had been in early labor off and on for a couple of days. I wasn’t sleeping well at all due to this, and I also felt myself coming down with a sinus infection or something. I was getting really irritable and very exhausted. In hindsight I should have known I was going to have him on the 24th because the contractions had been painful and consistent, just not regular. I was also beyond hormonal. I texted my midwife that evening and she said it sounded like a positioning problem, especially since most of the pain was felt on one side, and that’s the side he was lying on.

So she gave me some tips to try and that did relieve a lot of the pain with the contractions.

I went to bed around 1am or so but couldn’t sleep. So I got up and got on the computer. I noticed the contractions start becoming regular at about 10 minutes apart around 2am. I decided to go try and get some rest in case it was going to be a long night. Of course I didn’t sleep. The contractions started getting closer together…about 4-7 minutes apart. So I woke up Michael and asked him to blow up the birth pool because it was time. I called my midwife and she and her assistant were on their way! This was around 4am.

I put on the “dress” I had wanted to wear during labor, and then went to the kitchen to heat up my labor infusion tea I’d made and frozen ahead of time. Michael was blowing up the pool in the garage and I noticed he had turned on Kenny G music..which I thought was funny. Contractions started to intensify and were coming every 3-5 minutes. I took my tea with me and knelt on the ground over the living room chair. One of my favorite positions during labor. Michael brought the pool in and started filling it up. Soon it was getting harder to get through contractions silently. I had been closing my eyes and breathing through them up to this point. So I moved to the couch and sat back while propping my legs up on the side of the birth pool. This helped my pelvis to open up more and I could feel a bit of fluid leaking with each contraction. I could also start feeling his head descend a little bit. I told Michael I hoped the midwives got here in time! I was gently moaning through a contraction when Heather walked in. She said I was doing a great job. I don’t know what time it was but it was between 5-5:30 I believe.

She checked the baby’s heartbeat and my vitals. All was well, but the contractions were getting pretty hard. So I climbed into the birth tub.

This was my first time ever using one, and it’s true what they say…it is nature’s epidural! No, it didn’t take all the pain away, but it was very relaxing and soothing. Heather’s assistant, Sandra, showed up. She checked baby’s heart rate while I was in the pool.

I was starting to have to make louder moaning noises, but was still surprisingly controlled and relaxed. I felt like I might need to push so I started grunting a bit with contractions which felt nice and helped to bring him down. My midwife is very hands off and won’t “check” you for dilation unless you ask. So I never knew how dilated I was and I was glad for that. I just pushed when it felt right. I alternated between squatting, lying back and “floating” and leaning forward.

Soon though it became very intense and I was frustrated that my efforts in bringing him down were taking so long. I was saying things like “Why isn’t he coming?” and “Why is it taking so long?” Things were getting really hard and I saw my 5 year old wander out into the living room. lol I was glad that I had told him that night if he were to wake up and hear mommy making noises etc. that it was normal and just meant the baby was coming. Michael didn’t see Brighton come out and that I was “losing my mind” in transition. lol

My midwives had me stand up in the pool. I was in a LOT of pain at this point. I was leaning on Michael with contractions and then at some point my midwife as well. I was starting to “lose it” a little bit. At this point all the kids woke up and Michael ran back and told them to play because mommy was having the baby and needed daddy right now. I continued to lean (aka hold onto for dear life) on people.

I was pushing which I could tell was really bringing him down, but not enough for my liking. I was becoming desperate and was telling my midwife I wanted an epidural, asking her if she could help, and just generally whining like a baby saying I couldn’t do it. ((Of course rationally, when a woman gets to the “I can’t do it stage” it means it’s super close. However, when you’re in that much pain it doesn’t matter)) I pushed and my bloody show fell into the pool. With the next contraction there was a loud splash and I saw my membranes (bag of waters) sitting at the bottom of the pool. Cool!

I was so DONE at this point. They suggested I walk to the bedroom and try lying on the bed. It was hard to walk there! Once on the bed, I decided I was just going to push as much as I could to get him out!!!! I was bearing down even between contractions because it felt better than not doing so and I could really feel his head coming down. I started to feel the burning and stretching and at that point REALLY wanted his head out. My midwives told me to slow down and breathe him out so I didn’t tear or cause him bruising, which I tried for a bit, but couldn’t keep doing. Finally his head was out! I just wanted to keep pushing. We were working on the shoulders and all of a sudden my midwives told me to get on my hands and knees (I knew this meant his shoulder was stuck. I’d had the same thing happen at my hospital birth in 2006, but they did not have me change positions. Wish they had.) They were telling me I needed to push him out now!!! I pushed and pushed as hard as I could, and I could feel them trying to help maneuever his shoulders out which was very painful and I was saying “ow ow ow!” Once the shoulders got through he slipped right out.

Ephraim Asher was born at 8:20am.

He was breathing but very quiet. We all rubbed him and talked to him to try and stimulate a cry or something else. It took a minute but he pinked up and was fine. When he came out he pooped everywhere. Obviously distress from the shoulder sticking moment. Michael and Sandra worked on wiping him down etc. and I wanted Heather to check my bleeding, I had hemorrhaged mildly with my last two births (one for dr. interference and the other due to partially detached placenta…so not necessarily repeatable but I was worried none the less) and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t happening again. She said my bleeding was normal and actually quite minimal. So I held Ephraim and we waited for the cord to be finished, then Michael cut it. The placenta was taking a bit to come and I took some Angelica to help it release. We also wound up doing one shot of pit…not because I needed it but because of my past 2 experiences and she knew it was a concern for me. I was fine with that. Anyway, placenta eventually came which she remarked was quite large.

I had some complications after the delivery. All of a sudden I felt clammy, weak, dizzy and just “not right.” She took my blood pressure it was a low. They gave me some oxygen which really helped. Later, she wanted me to try and use the bathroom so she cold make sure that I could get up on my own before she left me here. Both times I tried I wound up almost passing out and needing oxygen. So she wound up staying with me (Sandra left shortly after the birth) until after 8pm when I was finally able to go without needing the oxygen. It was still hard and I had to come lay right back down though. She had been giving me lots of water, eating nourishing foods, giving me iron and chlorophyll and my BP went back up to normal which really helped a lot. A combination of anemia (I quit taking my iron for a while, stupid move), exhaustion (not sleeping for a few days), dehydration and a lot of hard labor work. I also have that sinus infection so my body is trying to fight that off too.

I am feeling SO much better now! Mostly it’s the sinus infection. Ugh. It’s just going to take some time. My muscles are also REALLY sore from the instense pushing I did for so long. So I am just nourishing myself and Michael is taking care of everything else. However, I am SOOO pleased that there were no bleeding issues, my uterus did exactly what it was supposed to do, and (as usual) there were no tears or anything. As far as everything goes in the “birthing area” I feel great.

Newly nursing and the after pains are uncomfortable, but you all know it’s just par for the course.

Ephraim is the sweetest baby ever! We are all so in love with him and happy to have him here with us.

Weighing sweet Ephraim

He was 7lbs 8oz and 20.5in long. We did give him the Vit K shot because of the hard birth, and some bruising on his face.

I had told her ahead of time that we would only give it if SHE felt it was necessary. The only other thing we’ll be doing is the PKU test when she comes back for a visit this week.

((The other boys have held him too, but I have not been taking pics and no one snapped any shots of them))

All in all I am very pleased with my birth. Yes, it hurt, but it was birth! I have tight ligaments (good for pelvic health but not so much for pushing) and pushing is always very long and exhausting for me. Epidurals make this even longer and require interventions, so by forgoing drugs I make my labor shorter and safer.

It was in our home, just us, the kids woke up in time to see him once we were settled. I was able to give birth the way I wanted to and do what felt good to me instead of being strapped to a bed and on my back. I didn’t have to be poked with iv’s and blood draws every hour. It is such an amazing thing to experience birth the way God intended. Families together, comforting the mother. We’ve also been blessed to receive 2 weeks worth of home cooked frozen meals from our fellowship. Something I’ve never experienced with any of my other births.

Monday (the 8th day after his birth) we will take the long drive (8 hours altogether) to take Ephraim for his Brit Milah (or Brit Pirah). We received a beautiful book from a friend of ours that includes a couple of certificates for this very event.

YHWH has blessed us once again.

Landan Cade, born January 9, 2012

On January 2nd, I had my regularly scheduled appointment with Heather and was excited to hear her say, “Your dilated to almost 5 centimeters!”.  I felt really excited and expected to go into labor later that day.  Heather did say that it could be later in the day or it could be next week.

Since we live in Waco, my husband and I decided to stay in the area close to the birth center.  So we took our 5 yr old son and went to Austin’s Park to stay and play for the rest of the day, hoping for a birth before we went back to Waco.  Around 5pm I left the park to go back to the birth center for one more check before Heather left for the day.  She said there was no change, so I decided to relax about everything.  We left Georgetown around 9pm and got home late that night.

The next few days were as uncomfortable as the previous week due to Landan’s position in my uterus, and especially his head pushing my bladder in a way that made it almost impossible to urinate like a normal woman.  I was so ready to meet my baby and just as ready to pee again in a normal upright position!  Ha! Ha!

Still no birth, but the following Monday (Jan. 9th) all was as usual until around 8pm.  I noticed a few spots of blood when I urinated.  I told my husband, and he suggested I call Heather to let her know.  I really wasn’t too concerned about it but called Heather just the same.  She told me to call again if I started having ANY contractions or back pain that was more constant.  I think it was around 8:30 when I called Heather again to report some back pain with contractions that seemed close together.  She told me to head to the birth center, but to be very careful since it was a very cold and rainy night.

I started putting out food and water for my little dogs, grabbing my video camera, batteries, dressing our son in warm clothes and trying to keep a very calm head so as not to forget anything.  Meanwhile, my husband was panicking and telling me, “Hurry up Babe, we need to go now.”  Our 5 yr old son was so excited to finally be going to have the baby.  I think he was started to believe that I had just gotten extra fat and wasn’t REALLY gonna have this little brother I had promised him.

We were on the interstate (I was driving like the control freak I am) when my husband forced me to pull over and let him drive.  My contractions were hard and heavy, and I knew it would be easier if I could lean back and brace myself on something to get through them.  So I pulled over to let him drive, and at this point it’s about 9:27 pm, and we’re still in Waco.  Thank goodness there was not much traffic that night.  We ended up in Georgetown about 10:27 pm, and I remember the feeling of extreme thirst.

I told my husband to stop at the Wal-Mart for orange juice and a gallon jug of water.  I didn’t think it was a big deal since we were only about 5 minutes from the birth center.  He went in and came out with the WRONG orange juice.  He knows I will only drink Florida’s Natural (the original, no pulp).  I screamed out,”I knew I should’ve gotten it myself!”  I look back now and laugh like crazy over myself and my husband and the fact that our son was sleeping in the back seat like all was peaceful in paradise.

Upon arriving at the birth center, there’s sweet Heather and sweet Sandra out in the rain to take us in.  The moment my husband turns off the mini van, I feel and hear the most amazing thing…a great pressure released from my vagina and huge SWOOSH!  My water had just gushed out of me.  I had been sitting on a folded towel which I immediately picked up and got out quickly to go to the back of the van where I was unloading the baby’s things, again like a crazy woman with time on her hands.  There was no time AT ALL.

They lovingly hurried me in, and I can still hear Heather saying to me…”Tamra, put down those things and we’ll bring them in, unless you want to have your baby here in the parking lot in the rain.”

I can still feel the warmth of the water as I climbed in to the birthing tub.  They could see his dark hair as I sat down.  I felt like they helped me and strengthened me with each breath and push until I held him up against my chest.  I have never experienced anything so beautiful, gentle, or peaceful as the birth of this sweet, angelic child.  I will be 45 years old in March and can say to anyone that I would do this again a thousand times over.  And it would have to be with Heather and Sandra by my side.  We are grateful to God for the gift of another child, and we are also thankful for his guidance and direction in helping us to make the best possible decision for our family and for Landan’s birth experience.

Happy Family with baby Urijah

Urijah’s birth story is so unique.  His mama tells it perfectly…

Today has been exactly one week since Urijah was born.  I don’t know where the time has gone!  However, this story starts quite a few days before last Thursday, when my water unexpectedly broke during my 36^th week of pregnancy.  It was early Sunday morning, October 9^th, at about 2 am, when I felt a small gush and thought that I had to go to the bathroom.  A minute later I felt another small gush and got myself up and to the bathroom.  Immediately I started thinking “no, no, no, it’s too early”, but at that point it was out of my hands.  My water had indeed broken, so I woke up Scott to tell him, but we went back to sleep since nothing else seemed to be happening.

I called Heather the next morning and told her what was going on, but that I wasn’t having any contractions yet.  We decided to wait and see what happened.  Little did we know that “Wait and see” would turn out to be the mantra that we would repeat to ourselves for the 5 days until Urijah decided to make his appearance.

On Tuesday morning, I felt my first identifiable contractions.  They were sporadic and not very strong, so we went to the birth center for a check in and to come up with a plan.  We all agreed that we were willing to maintain the wait and see approach – we didn’t feel there was any need to go to the hospital even though the hours were ticking away since my water had broken.  The baby sounded good and I felt good, so we wanted to give him as much time on the inside as possible.  Since the risk of infection was a possibility after my water broke, the midwives couldn’t check me to see if I was progressing, so we did a swab to verify that my water broke.  The first swab I did at the center was negative so we thought I was mistaken and it was a false alarm, but a second swab a little while later once we were back at home showed that my water had indeed broken with no question.  User error on the first try?  We’ll never know!

We essentially continued this pattern for the next 2 days…I would have sporadic contractions that would really pick up in the evening and nighttime, and all but completely stop during the day.  They were easy to breathe through, so that’s what I did.  I was running on very little sleep, and on Thursday morning after another sleepless night of stronger contractions that were coming regularly, I called Heather and said I needed to come in.  I was tired and starting to feel anxious and she agreed it might be time to head in, so we did.  We got settled into the room and tried to get some rest.  The contractions came and went and Scott and I managed to get a bit of sleep on and off.  Heather continued to monitor the baby and me throughout, and we were fine.  Then the contractions stopped…again!  Around 2:00pm, we decided to head home, although we were hopeful enough that we left our stuff in the room.  I wanted to have that baby!  I couldn’t handle any more waiting around.  As it turned out, I didn’t really have to.

I napped at home for 2 hours and woke myself up around 5pm moaning through some pretty strong contractions.  I leaned by the side of the bed for a few of them, but had to go downstairs to get Scott to help me though them, as they were starting to come fast and hard.  These contractions felt absolutely different than any I had felt so far.  At 6:00, I was shivering and knew this was it – I called Heather and told her what was going on, and she said she would call Sandra and meet us at the birth center.  Scott was concerned that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and I would need some energy for what was to come, so we loaded up and got into the car, thinking we would swing by Subway to get some food just in case I would manage to eat.  Ha.  It was quickly evident that was not going to happen – I was feeling the urge to push while we were about halfway there!  We got the birth center and I’m sure I made quite an impression on the Hypnobirthing class that was sitting in the family room waiting for their class to start, as Scott helped me back to our room.

Heather and Sandra did some quick assessments and they could tell – this was it.  They starting filling up the birthing pool and I leaned over the birthing ball that was on the bed, as the contractions came.  I told Heather and Sandra that I needed to push, and they assured me I could go ahead!  Scott stood behind me and applied counter-pressure to my lower back during each contraction, which helped so much.  At this point, I started to feel scared – this was unlike anything I had felt before, and I could feel the panic starting to take over.  I think I started to make high pitched noises during the contractions and Heather reminded me to make deep, low noises and Scott reminded me to relax my jaw and even those two small things made such a difference.  It gave me a sense of control over what was going on, even though my body was really in control – I just had to go along and let it do what it knew was best.

When the pool was full, Scott and I both got in the water and it was THE best feeling ever.  The water was so warm and so soothing and immediately helped me to relax.  I changed positions in the water several times trying to find which one felt the best and while I stayed on my knees for a time, I figured out pretty soon that my legs were too tired to maintain that.

Finally, Scott and I settled into a position with him behind me and me reclining between his legs, which was so wonderful as he could keep whispering in my ear to relax and telling me how great I was doing.  Heather and Sandra monitored the baby’s heart rate as contractions came and went and I began to calm down and just concentrate on the moment and relax as much as possible – I didn’t have any space in my mind to spare anticipating the next contraction.  Heather knew just what to say during and after each surge – she told me when to push more and longer, she told me how fantastic each push was and what good progress I was making each time, and when I was making nervous comments about the pain, she reminded me that yes, it does hurt, but that it’s not bad and that I didn’t need to be scared of it…I respond really well to positive reinforcement, so this was just what I needed to hear.

I pushed from about 7:00pm-10:52pm when Urijah came into the world.  He made his appearance with the cord wrapped around his neck and his little hand up next to his cheek, and I caught a glimpse of his face under the water when only his head was out and all I wanted was for the rest of him to come OUT! Heather unwrapped the cord and maneuvered his arm and the next thing I was aware of was there was a baby on my chest and Heather and Sandra telling Scott and I to talk to him while they rubbed him with a towel and worked on getting him to announce himself.

What a feeling!  I said to Scott, “Can you believe this!?”  Scott didn’t say much at the time, but later he told me he was overcome with emotion, and wasn’t able to speak without losing it totally.  We enjoyed a few minutes in the birth pool snuggled together, but since Urijah was so small, we needed to be concerned about his temperature, so we all moved to the bed to get to know each other and get him warmed up on my chest, and for me to deliver the placenta which seriously, felt so good!  Scott cut the cord once it was done pulsing, and after a while, Heather stitched me up and we worked on some breastfeeding with Sandra’s help, and then Baby U got the full once-over and we learned that our baby boy was 5 lbs 15 ounces and 20.5 inches long!

I am so proud of my birthing experience and what I was able to accomplish.  This being my first baby, I obviously didn’t know what to expect pain-wise.  I must say, even during the contractions, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I knew I could handle it.  They were manageable and even though I was so tired, my body kicked in during each surge and it felt like a rocket boost of energy that made each push so much more effective.  I have such a respect for my body and what it was able to do….near the end of the pushing my contractions had really slowed down, and I was able to relax so much between them that Scott told me I fell asleep several times!  Who would have thought?!

The whole long labor was not anything like I anticipated, and definitely lasted a lot longer than I would have chosen, but I believe that my body knew just what it was doing and Urijah got 5 extra days in utero because we were patient and willing to trust my body and our midwives.  Heather and Sandra both took excellent care of us, and I could not have asked for more supportive and intuitive caregivers during the entire process.  We never felt rushed or pressured, and they were absolutely patient and calm during all of the waiting – always encouraging us and reassuring us.  The delivery was just what we had hoped for – calm and peaceful and intimate and Scott and I will forever be grateful that they were there to guide us and share in the birth of our baby.

Baby Miles with Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother Peyton, and doula Gena

This is the birth story of Miles Bristow, but I need to start this story in the year 2007.  I had my first son, Peyton, via emergency c-section on May 7, 2007.  He was 8lb, 10oz, and they told me he was too big which is why I wasn’t able to deliver him vaginally.  It was a pretty traumatic experience, yet I completely blacked it out after the first time I held him.  He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and everything else before holding him no longer mattered to me! 
  
  Fast forward to February 2011:
   My husband and I found out we were expecting our second child!  We hired a doctor, started seeing him once a month, and started talking about our birth plan.  From the beginning, I knew I wanted to try for a VBAC.  My doctor led on that this would be a possibility, as long as I didn’t gain too much weight and stayed healthy.  Sometime in May I watched a documentary called “The Business of Being Born” which completely opened my eyes to things I had never even thought of or considered before with the birth of my baby.  It taught me to ask questions and research more so that I could try and have the birth I wanted for my baby and me.  The closer it got to my due date, the more anxious I became about labor and delivery.  I started having flashbacks from Peyton’s delivery, and it kept me from sleeping at night.  I had forgotten how traumatic it was for me until I realized I was about to have to go through it all over again!  I began talking to my doctor about my concerns, researching ways to help my labor be a beautiful experience, and asking people questions.  Slowly, I started realizing my doctor did not believe in me, and he felt his 8 years of medical school should be enough for me to shut my mouth and just be happy that he is even letting me try for a VBAC.   At 36 weeks pregnant I ended up firing my doctor, hiring a doula, and hiring a midwife!  It was all very sudden and a drastic change that shocked my family, but I knew I was making the right decision.  Looking back, I am so proud of myself for listening to my heart and trusting myself to make the changes I did.

Mommy totally focused with Daddy's support

Focused and strong

We got to Central Texas Birth Center a little after 3pm where Heather checked me and found that I was at 5 cm with an extremely soft cervix!!  We went back home for a few hours where I continued to experience contractions, but they were never more than a minute and always pretty inconsistent.  I kept thinking, “this can’t be it”!  Suddenly out of nowhere I started crying!  I have no idea where it came from, but I couldn’t stop.  I called Heather explaining that I didn’t think I was far enough along, but I wanted to come in anyway.  She agreed it was a good decision and off we went!  

Mom receiving support from Daddy and midwives

After my good cry, I became very calm and collected.  Without even trying, I was suddenly extremely focused on listening to my body and letting it do the work it needed to do.  Heather checked me again when we arrived, and I was shocked to find out I was at 9-1/2 cm!!  I felt like such a strong momma!  I ended up sitting on the toilet for over an hour, just sitting, because it felt very comfortable to me.  Strange, I know, but it was very comfortable at the time.  Then someone suggested moving to the pool that I had had Heather fill up.  The warm water was SOOOO nice, and it helped a lot with the pressure and intensity.  I continued with contractions for another hour or so, feeling so comfortable and loved and supported by all the people in the room. 
   Suddenly, the urges to push started!  I never experienced this with Peyton, so I was a bit shocked with the feeling.  Heather, Sandra, Gena and my husband kept helping me relax my jaw, relax my body in between urges, and trust my body. 

Cool Washcloths for Mom

I can not express enough how much the love and support in that room kept me grounded and positive and strong!  My husband, Brian, was amazing and seemed to say all the right things at the right time to keep my mind focused.  Towards the very end, I kept picturing catching baby Miles in my hands and pulling him up to my chest.  Just seeing it in my mind was exciting enough, so it kept me giddy and energized at the end of labor.  I pushed for about 45 minutes total before bringing my beautiful baby boy onto my chest and seeing him for the first time! 

Welcoming Miles!

He was so peaceful and calm, and I was such a proud momma!  It was more beautiful of an experience than I could have ever imagined it to be!
 
   Miles R. Bristow was born at 10:54pm on October 6, 2011.  He was 8lb, 8oz and 21″ long.  After a few minutes in the pool, we moved to the bed to help him warm up a bit.  I wanted to feed him first, which the midwives completely supported, and he ate for a good 30 minutes.  Miles, my husband and I were able to relax together on the bed for a while, getting to know each other, before he was examined by the midwives.  Heather and Sandra are very respectful of what you want to do after the baby is born.  My husband and I never felt rushed or unsupported, and it was greatly appreciated.  We left feeling extremely happy about the entire experience, and we are very grateful to have found such a supportive group of people 4 weeks away from my due date. 

Proud Momma!

  Sidenote:  Miles was only 2oz less in weight than Peyton was at birth.  I firmly believe I could have delivered Peyton the same way, but there was a lack of trust in myself and some mismanagement done by the hospital staff that kept it from happening.  I feel that every woman can do this as long as they hire supportive people and have supportive family / friends around them.  Most importantly, I feel the woman needs to believe in herself.  It was a struggle for me at first, considering I felt like I had failed with Peyton, so I’m not saying it is always easy.  Ladies, we are built for this, and we are strong!  It was such a magical experience, and I feel so blessed and powerful after trusting myself and my body.

Birth of Noah at Central Texas Birth Center

Our sweet April (the afternoon receptionist) gave birth to her son, Noah Clary, on August 15th.  Noah’s birth was the third in three days at the birth center!  April did a beautiful job.  What a strong, patient mama!  We look forward to having her back, with Noah in tow, later in the Fall.

April’s Birth Story, in her own words:
It was Sunday august 14. I had just gotten up from my second nap that day. It had been a long night the night before with yet another round of false labor. I had even decided to go the birth center for this one! I felt so defeated coming home Sunday morning. I was never going to have this baby. My due date was August 18 but like most I was just over it. So back to Sunday evening. What woke me up was my mom calling to see if I wanted anything from Pappasitos. So I decided to order some fish and rice. She asked me if it was raining here and I annoyingly said no. What was she talking about? It hadn’t rained nearly all of our hottest summer in Texas history. I hung up and stared out the window in my room for a bit trying to wake up. And then…it started to rain! Actually it poured. Crazy! So my mom wasn’t going to be back for a while and I was starving so I decided to eat half a tuna sandwich and some fruit while I waited. By the time she got home, I felt a bit off and couldn’t eat my dinner. I was nauseous and felt uncomfortable. I thought to myself, “Great. Food poising. Who left the tuna out and put it back in the fridge?” I finally felt like eating a couple of hours later. Mom surprised me with chocolate cake and ice cream as well so I had to have that of course! Contractions started up shortly after. Those crampy but pretty much painless ones. They were every 5 min but that had been the case for weeks. So I took a warm bath and by1:00am was asleep. At 2:00am I woke up with what was the start of real labor contractions. Finally! I timed and worked through them making sure it was the real thing. They were getting stronger and I ended up using a rolling pin on my back to get through each one. Finally I decided to call my midwife Heather at about 3am. She heard the sound in my voice and said “sounds like you’re in labor!” She said she’d shower and meet me at the birth center in about 40. I was really uncomfortable so I decided to go to the birth center to wait on her there. (It’s very convenient to work at a birth center and be able to hold a key for anytime access!) I woke up my mom and she drove me over there. From the time I arrived at the birth center until I gave birth, things got a bit blurry so I will try my best to recall the details. There was a time where I could no longer wear clothes and moved around naked, a time I threw up(I really regretted eating all that fish), and a time I was singing a Real Housewives of New Jersey song in the birth pool. I was just so focused on what my body was doing and reacting to what it needed. I definitely needed to get out of my dress that I decided to wear there. I thought it would be comfortable but I felt so constricted. I changed into a light night gown and tried walking up and down the hall way to sitting on the birth ball to just swaying with each contraction. Nothing seemed to help more than just closing my eyes and letting it happen. Back labor is certainly a challenge! Heather, my savior midwife, arrived soon after I got there. My friend Amy arrived shortly after Heather. She checked my vitals. She asked if I wanted to be checked as far as dilation. I had been asking her to check me every week for a few weeks and pretty much every day the past week. Yeah, I was totally excited and anxious to go into labor. But this time, I didn’t want anyone touching me for any reason really so I declined. I think that’s when she knew I was for sure in labor. Contractions kept coming on stronger and more frequently. It was suggested that I get in the shower so I did, for a pretty long time it seemed. The hot water hitting my back felt so good during contractions. At this point I wanted to be alone. I felt claustrophobic with people around so I kicked Amy out. She had great patience with me! Sabrina came in at some point which was a great relief. I totally felt like crawling out of my skin now and didn’t know what to do to help myself get through all of this. Her and Heather filled up the birth pool for me and I immediately got in. It was so big I felt like I was in my own little world. Sabrina sat in front of me and held my hands through it all. I was exhausted and a bit whiney about wanting it to be over. Amy got in the pool to help support me and to apply pressure to my back. Heather checked me finally and I was dilated to 7cm now. I was so happy to hear that. Things seemed to be moving along quickly but I had no idea how long it had actually been. But I soon felt pushy. I was never checked again. I was simply told to listen to my body and to respond accordingly. I liked this pushy part. Contractions became less and less painful. I suddenly only felt the urge to poop and gave fair warning to Amy that I was going to do so on her. It’s great to have a friend who doesn’t mind this in such a moment. While pushing, I continually felt to see where the baby’s head was. Once I reached down I felt that my bag of waters had emerged. I thought it had broken a bit earlier in the pool so this totally freaked me out. I demanded that someone tell me what the hell it was which Heather did. I then asked Sabrina to take a picture. Noahs head soon came and when it did, I tried focusing on not rushing this part. I felt the “ring of fire” but it wasn’t painful like I had imagined. I again asked for a picture to be take once his head was out. Pushing after this was hard. I was totally exhausted and I needed a break. Sabrina brought this awesome contraption to help with exactly this. It’s hard to explain but I held onto one end and she held onto the other and I pulled and pushed with all my strength. Heather suddenly told me to stand up and to do it now. All of sudden I was standing, thank God for Amy, and continued to do my pushing this way. I never felt that relief of Noah’s little body slipping out once his head and shoulders were out. Maybe it was because he wasn’t so little! Inch by inch he came and Heather caught him beautifully. After helping him with his first little breath I sat back down in the pool and was handed my beautiful baby boy. I didn’t cry, I don’t even think I smiled much(that came shortly after of course). I was just in total shock as to what had just happened. I mean I knew I had a baby inside my belly for almost 10 months but now he was in my arms. A real baby! A healthy and beautiful baby with a great set of lungs I must say. We moved to the bed after having our beautiful moment together and began to do all that lovely after birth stuff. I birthed my placenta shortly after. Cord clamping was delayed until pulsing was complete. I cut the umbilical cord which I never thought about doing but was glad I got to. Sabrina made me a placenta smoothy as requested (I know…sounds horrible but it was really good. And good for me!) I had a small tear too small to stitch and some more than slight bleeding but I was ok. Noah and I began our breastfeeding relationship which went well. My mom and sister had come in by this point and we all shared the joy of this new life. I had everyone there that I wanted there. It was perfect. Noah weighed 8lbs 14 oz and was 20in long. What a surprise it was for little ol’ me to have such a big baby! I never thought for a second that I couldn’t do it, even when I whined with doubt. All I needed was assurance and encouragement and that’s exactly what I got. I’m totally and completely happy with my birth. I wouldn’t change a single thing. I labored in a place where I could walk freely and demand space and darkness as needed. I was gently given herbs during and after, had cool towels applied to my face, massages to get me through contractions and all the lovely words one needs to get through the hardest work you’ll ever experience in your life. I could be completely vulnerable, which I was, and not get taken advantage of. I didnt have the temptation of close by pain killing drugs or anyone telling me to give in to interventions. What I did have was three amazing women simply telling me I could do it. And that I was doing it, beautifully and with grace. A great friend held my hand for hours, another literally held me up when I couldn’t do it myself, and another caught the love my life and gave him his firth breath. I like to refer to them as my birth goddesses. The energy surrounding my birth is something that cannot be described. As I lay here with almost two week old Noah asleep on my chest, I cry with joy on how he got to be here in my arms. I’ll never forget the day he came or the hours spent getting him earth side.

Weighing baby Michael... 9 pounds 8 ounces!

The first birth in our “Susie” suite was nothing short of miraculous.  Sweet Michael was born in the wee hours of the morning while his older sisters slept peacefully in the family room.   What a blessing!  And of course, Michael left his footprints on the wall for us. =)

I am pleased to announce the birth of Hunter, on April 20.  The first birth at the birth center was nothing short of beautiful.  His mama was strong and patient and we were all thrilled to meet him.  Thanks for letting us serve you, Hunter and family!

When: April 1, 7pm
Where: Central Texas Birth Center
101 W. Cooperative Way
Suite 225
Georgetown, TX 78626

Details:
When: Saturday, April 2, 11am – 3pm
Where: Central Texas Birth Center! 101 W. Cooperative Way; Suite 225; Georgetown, TX 78626

We can’t wait to see you there!!